Improved method of attaching loops to buckles



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

L. C. CHASE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,153, dated June 13,1865.

To all whom 'it may concern:

" Be it known that I, L. G. CHASE, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Method ofAttaching Loops, Buckles, and Rings; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation ot' the sam e,ref erence being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichi Figure l is aplan of a strap with a buckle,

' loop, and ring attached, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.Fig. 3 is a plan of the clasp alone; and Figs. 4 and 5 are similar viewsof the clasp combined with aloop.

Like parts are indicated by the same letters in allthe drawings.

The nature of my invention consists in conining buckles, loops, andrings to straps of leather or woven fabrics by means of metallic claspsor bands which are slipped on over the strap into the proper positionand then con1 pressed and partially embedded in the same by means of ahammer, vise, press, or other suitable instrument.

My improvement further consists in casting or constructing a loop in onepiece with said clasp or band, and also in providing the clasp or bandVwith a start or prong, f, to be forced into the strap, andtherebyprevent the clasp or band from slipping, by means of whichdevices I secure a number of very important advantages over the methodshitherto employed for coniinin g buckles,loops,and rings to straps, viz:First, my attachment is much cheaper than the common kind, second,it ismuch more durable and substantial, and less liable to get outof repair 5third, it is neater in appearance; and,l fourth, my method of attachingbuckles, loops, and rings can be applied by almost any one as well asbya skilled workman or harnessmaker, when and where the latter cannot bereadily obtained.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, lwill now proceed to describe the construction and operation of the same.

. I construct the clasp or band, as well as the loop, of malleablecast-iron, brass, or other suitable metal or alloy, and of any desirablesize and shape.

E, Fig. 3, represents a single clasp consisting ot' two sides, g and m,and two ends, t t, inclosin g a space, zc, just large enough to readilyreceive the strap to which it is to be applied as an attachment, one otthe sides, m, being provided with a start or prong, f. This clasp E, Iuse, as represented in Figs, 1 and 2, for the purpose of continin g aring or a buckle to a strap where no loop is required, the strap A beingpassed through the ring or buckle doubled over onto itself and forcedinto the space w. When this is done a single blow of abanomer, or anyother suitable means of compression,will drive the prong f into the endof the strap and partially embed the sides g m in the same, therebyattaching the said ring or buckle much more rapidly, cheaply, neatly,and securely than it can be done by any other method known or usedbefore.

Fig. 5 represents the same clasp made in one piece, with a loop, o,otlwhich g n are the sides and t t the ends. This clasp andloop are used,first, Where a single loop or slide-loop alone is required, as shown inthe center oit' the strap l A in Figs. l and 2, and, second, where aloop is required in connection with a buckle, B, whose tongue is passedthrough a hole in the strap in the usual manner, the clasp being thenapplied and confined, as described above in the case of the ring C.

Fig. 4 represents a slight modiication of Fig. 5, the prong f beingconstructed on the side g, while the side fm is made in two parts, theends of which come together at i, this latter construction allowing theclasp to be ap plied to any part ot' a strap after a ring or buckle' mayhave been attached to either end of it.

In some cases the clasp may be made to operate Without the prong j', asin coniining a buckle,.where the tongue goes through the strap, or wherea loop alone is required, the compression and embedding of the sides g malone being sufficient to hold the clasp in place. As a general thing,however, I prefer to construct the clasp with the addition of the prong.

To remove the clasp from a strap to which it has been attached, it isonly necessary to compress the two ends t t by the blow of a hammer,orin any other obvious manner,which will raise the prong f and loosenthe clasp, so that it can be readily slipped along and detached.

1 straps by means of a clasp or band, substantially as and for theobjects specified.

2. Constructing the clasp or band in one piece with the loop,substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The prong f, in combination with the clasp, substantially as setforth and for the purpose described.

4. Constructing one side of the clasp opposite the prong f in two parts,substantially as and for the purpose described.

L. C. CHASE.

Vitnesses:

N. AMES, GEO. R. CLARKE.

